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So California recently changed its laws so that knowingly exposing people to HIV will now be classed as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. WaPo article here. Also removes requirement that convicted sex workers be tested for HIV. My initial reaction is to disapprove but also to speculate that the impact will be very limited. Thoughts?

The law (as admitted in the article with its 3 cases) is designed around exceedingly rare instances of deliberate infection. In practice, they apparently have had 0 cases of that, but it is really used to toss prostitutes in jail for a felony.

Still, wouldn't that be attempted murder if you deliberately did it? That would cover the rare cases without tripping up prostitution. And if prostitutes sloppily risking infecting clients is an issue, could there be other laws to address that.

One should never be in favor of the smarmy twisting, by those in power, of a law into areas not envisioned by the legislature. (People cheer!)

G'hed. Click. I dare you.

This also includes declaring the Internet a public utility so it can be regulated sans direct instruction by Congress.

In 2011, the total life expectancy bumped up to about 70 years. Someone who is HIV-positive, receiving treatment, and in optimal health ó meaning they donít do drugs and are free of other infections ó may live to be in their late 70s.

__________________I've always believed that cluelessness evolved as an adaptation to allow the truly appalling to live with themselves. - G. B. TrudeauA person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. - Kay, Men in Black.Enjoy every sandwich. - Warren Zevon

True, but the harm done still exceeds many other crimes which constitute felonies.

__________________"As long as it is admitted that the law may be diverted from its true purpose -- that it may violate property instead of protecting it -- then everyone will want to participate in making the law, either to protect himself against plunder or to use it for plunder. Political questions will always be prejudicial, dominant, and all-absorbing. There will be fighting at the door of the Legislative Palace, and the struggle within will be no less furious." - Bastiat, The Law

True, but the harm done still exceeds many other crimes which constitute felonies.

Harm potentially done. There is a small chance of not contracting HIV.

__________________I've always believed that cluelessness evolved as an adaptation to allow the truly appalling to live with themselves. - G. B. TrudeauA person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. - Kay, Men in Black.Enjoy every sandwich. - Warren Zevon

Harm potentially done. There is a small chance of not contracting HIV.

Sure, but attempted crimes are still crimes. Making it a felony, even with modern drug treatments, is not at all out of line with the seriousness of the action.

__________________"As long as it is admitted that the law may be diverted from its true purpose -- that it may violate property instead of protecting it -- then everyone will want to participate in making the law, either to protect himself against plunder or to use it for plunder. Political questions will always be prejudicial, dominant, and all-absorbing. There will be fighting at the door of the Legislative Palace, and the struggle within will be no less furious." - Bastiat, The Law

I'm not getting not requiring prostitutes to get testing done. True, HIV is not the death sentence that it used to be but it is an expensive preventable disease that can be curbed by knowing your status and seeking early intervention to prevent the continued spread of the disease.

PEP is also a drug that you can take if you can't abide condom use. I guess you could look at it two ways, who in their right mind would not use safe sex practices if you already belong to a high risk group? Everyone not in a monogamous relationship should be using condoms or PEP. Once diagnosed, it's hard to prove who gave what to who anyway.

__________________"When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone, I cannot put my finger on it now. The child is grown, the dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb. " Pink Floyd

Sure, but attempted crimes are still crimes. Making it a felony, even with modern drug treatments, is not at all out of line with the seriousness of the action.

Fair point.

__________________I've always believed that cluelessness evolved as an adaptation to allow the truly appalling to live with themselves. - G. B. TrudeauA person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. - Kay, Men in Black.Enjoy every sandwich. - Warren Zevon

I'm not getting not requiring prostitutes to get testing done. True, HIV is not the death sentence that it used to be but it is an expensive preventable disease that can be curbed by knowing your status and seeking early intervention to prevent the continued spread of the disease.

PEP is also a drug that you can take if you can't abide condom use. I guess you could look at it two ways, who in their right mind would not use safe sex practices if you already belong to a high risk group? Everyone not in a monogamous relationship should be using condoms or PEP. Once diagnosed, it's hard to prove who gave what to who anyway.

I hadn't considered the cost angle.

So what was the rationale for lowering the class of crime?

__________________I've always believed that cluelessness evolved as an adaptation to allow the truly appalling to live with themselves. - G. B. TrudeauA person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. - Kay, Men in Black.Enjoy every sandwich. - Warren Zevon

You can't prove who gave HIV to who first, no way to back the accusation since HIV might lie dormant for years before someone decides to get tested or it becomes AIDs.

__________________"When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone, I cannot put my finger on it now. The child is grown, the dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb. " Pink Floyd

The rationale was not "stigmatizing" people with AIDS. That's exactly what it said in the article I read and it's stupid. More liberal "feel good" politics that make no sense, and may even harm some people.

This is not a well designed law.

And no, AIDS treatments are not even close to a guarantee. How ridiculous to consider that when drafting this crap legislation.

Shooting someone with a gun is a felony even if the wound inflicted isn't life threatening. What an utterly idiotic way of looking at it.

Still, it gets back to proving who gave HIV to who and why didn't you wear a condom? It's usually consensual sex involved and both are just as equally responsible for protecting themselves.

However, here in SC it was hard to even identify the contacts with all of the quicky web sites. Most of the time they didn't know the partner's name, some couldn't even identify the partner's face for us to even try to ID all of the contacts.

__________________"When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone, I cannot put my finger on it now. The child is grown, the dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb. " Pink Floyd

The rationale was not "stigmatizing" people with AIDS. That's exactly what it said in the article I read and it's stupid. More liberal "feel good" politics that make no sense, and may even harm some people.

There must be a big AIDS voting bloc. I remember during my green card medical exam blood test, the doc saying that they still tested for syphyillis but were no longer allowed to test for AIDS... So this happens on the federal level as well as state.

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